Legal News

Husband and Wife Take $7.8 Million from Two Law Firms

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By Amanda Griffin

Posted on August 26, 2015

Summary: All good things must come to an end, including billing and stealing millions from law firms for services not actually provided.

Creating a fake company to bill the place where your wife works and approves payments may seem like a good idea to make lots of money but lots of money never goes undetected. Melvin Feliz pleaded guilty for his part in a scheme that robbed two New York City law firms of $7.8 million. He is still awaiting his sentencing on drug trafficking charges.

Feliz’s wife, Keila D. Ravelo, was a prominent antitrust lawyer that worked at Hunton & Williams from 2008 to 2010 and at Willkie Farr & Gallagher until November. She was featured last year in the “Women Worth Watching” report by the Profiles in Diversity Journal. The photo in the article was of her with First Lady Michelle Obama. Ravelo was also on the board of directors at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. She is no longer listed as a board member of the organization that strives to help underprivileged families.

The couple created two limited-liability companies to provide litigation support to law firms. They never gave such services to any law firms but still sent bills to the law firms where Ravelo was a partner and could authorize payments to the company. The two then used the money for personal items like properties, fancy cars, $250,000 at a jewelry store, and personal investments.

Feliz could face up to 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for the conspiracy and tax evasion charges. The government is wanting the entire $7.8 million, properties in Englewood Cliffs, the Bronx, and Florida, and their 2009 Bentley Continental returned.

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The other case Feliz has faced was for an unrelated drug trafficking plot to ship $550,000 of cocaine from California to Bergen County by semi-truck. Feliz was the head of the drug ring.

Ravelo has not entered a plea for her involvement. She has asked and been granted extra time to discuss options with her attorneys and federal prosecutors.